In Chinese history, the name Wu Sangui has always been accompanied by controversy. He was an important figure in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and was once known as the "first general outside the customs", but he was infamous for leading Qing soldiers into the customs. What's even more embarrassing is that Wu Sangui raised troops against the Qing Dynasty in his later years, and finally ended up with a tragic end of being beheaded all over the house. Emperor Kangxi ordered a thorough cleansing of the Wu family, even the infant baby, and vowed to cut down the grass and eradicate the roots.
However, there is always something strange about history. In recent years, a startling discovery has caught the attention of the academic community: in a small village in a remote mountainous area of Guizhou, thousands of villagers claiming to be descendants of Wu Sangui live. What kind of secrets is hidden in this village called Majiazhai? Did Wu Sangui really escape Kangxi's pursuit? Who is this surviving descendant? How did he save his life in the bloody storm, and how did he reproduce in secret? Let's unravel this long-lost mystery of history.
Wu Sangui, a figure who left a strong mark on Chinese history, has a life full of ups and downs and drama. His rise began at the end of the Ming Dynasty, when the Ming Dynasty was already in turmoil, with constant internal and external troubles. With his outstanding military talents, Wu Sangui repeatedly made military exploits on the battlefield of Liaodong and soon became an important general of the Ming Dynasty.
In 1638, Wu Sangui, who was only 26 years old, was appointed as the chief military officer of Ningyuan, commanding the important towns of Liaodong. During this period, he repelled the attacks of the Qing army many times and was known as the "first general outside the Guan". However, a turning point in fate soon came. In 1644, Li Zicheng led a peasant rebel army to capture Beijing, and Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself. At this time, Wu Sangui was faced with a difficult choice: should he continue to be loyal to the fallen Ming Dynasty, or should he find another way out?
Under the balance of the complex political situation and personal interests, Wu Sangui finally chose to switch Yingqing. This decision completely changed the course of Chinese history, and also brought great benefits and power to Wu Sangui himself. The Qing court named him the king of Pingxi and gave him the right to rule the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi.
However, Wu Sangui was not satisfied. As time went on, his ambitions grew. In 1673, Emperor Kangxi implemented the policy of "cutting the feudal domain" with the intention of recovering the military power of the vassal king. This touched Wu Sangui's interests and stimulated his long-hidden ambition to become emperor.
As a result, Wu Sangui raised the banner of opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty in Yunnan and launched the "Rebellion of the Three Feudatories" that shocked the government and the opposition. The rebellion lasted for eight years and engulfed most of China. In the early days of the rebellion, Wu Sangui was overwhelmed, once conquering Huguang, Sichuan and other places, and even proclaimed himself emperor in Hengyang in 1678, establishing a short-lived "Great Zhou" regime.
However, Wu Sangui underestimated the ability and determination of the young Kangxi Emperor. Emperor Kangxi personally coordinated military affairs and sent elite troops to encircle and suppress the rebels. After several years of hard fighting, the Qing army finally turned the tide and squeezed Wu Sangui's forces to a corner of Yunnan and Guizhou.
In 1678, when the rebellion was about to fail, Wu Sangui died of illness in Kunming at the age of 66. When the news of his death reached Beijing, Emperor Kangxi was furious. Wu Sangui's betrayal not only shook the foundation of Qing rule, but also seriously challenged the personal authority of Emperor Kangxi.
In order to put an end to future troubles, Emperor Kangxi ordered a complete liquidation of the Wu Sangui family. The Qing army launched a large-scale manhunt in Yunnan, sparing no one who might be related to Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui's son Wu Yingxiong and grandson Wu Shifan were captured and executed one after another. Even Wu Sangui's son-in-law, who was far away in Beijing, was not spared.
The bloody purge lasted for months, with thousands of Wu clansmen and their cronies executed. Emperor Kangxi's order was clear: no matter men, women, old or young, as long as it was Wu Sangui's bloodline, they must be killed. Even the baby in swaddling clothes is not spared to prevent future troubles.
In this bloody storm, Wu Sangui's family seems to have been completely wiped out. Emperor Kangxi believed that he had succeeded in erasing the blood of this rebel from history. However, the development of history is always full of surprises and twists. In the bloody storm, is there really no descendant of the Wu family who escaped this catastrophe? This question may not have been important at the time, but it left a huge suspense for future generations.
Under the thunderous wrath of Emperor Kangxi, Wu Sangui's family suffered a catastrophe. However, there are always some unknown undercurrents in the long river of history. In this bloody purge, a young man named Wu Yingqi successfully escaped the pursuit of the Qing army, leaving a ray of life for the continuation of the Wu bloodline.
Wu Yingqi is Wu Sangui's concubine, and his biological mother is a palace maid. Due to his humble status, he was not valued by Wu Sangui since he was a child, and he did not even have an official genealogical record. This seemingly unfortunate origin became his umbrella in the turbulent years that followed.
In 1673, when Wu Sangui launched a rebellion, Wu Yingqi, who was only 16 years old, was studying with a teacher in Kunming, Yunnan Province. After the rebellion broke out, his life changed dramatically. In order to protect this young Wu descendant, his teacher sent him to a remote mountain village and told him to remain incognito and never reveal his true identity.
In the following years, Wu Yingqi lived as an ordinary farmer's child. He learned to farm, hunt, and even participate in some small local trade. This experience gave him an in-depth understanding of the lives of the people at the bottom, and also laid the foundation for his future career as a fugitive.
In 1678, Wu Sangui died of illness, and the rebellion was over. The Qing army began to hunt down the Wu clan in Yunnan. Wu Yingqi's teacher realized that it was no longer safe to stay in Yunnan and decided to take him away. At this moment, an unexpected person appeared - Chen Yuanyuan.
Chen Yuanyuan was Wu Sangui's favorite concubine in the past and a famous beauty in Chinese history. During Wu Sangui's rebellion, she lived in seclusion. When he learned that Wu Sangui had died of illness and the family was facing annihilation, Chen Yuanyuan decided to take a risk to save this Wu bloodline.
On a dark and windy night, Chen Yuanyuan secretly came to the village where Wu Yingqi was hiding with a few henchmen. She revealed his true identity to Wu Yingqi and said that she would take him out of Yunnan. At first, Wu Yingqi couldn't believe this sudden change, but under the persuasion of his teacher, he finally agreed to Chen Yuanyuan's arrangement.
In this way, the group began a long and dangerous escape. They avoid the main roads and follow the inaccessible mountain trails. In order to avoid people's eyes, they often hide during the day and travel at night. Along the way, they experienced numerous thrilling moments: at one point, they were almost spotted by patrolling Qing troops; On another occasion, they were nearly swept away by a rushing current while crossing a river.
During this difficult journey, Chen Yuanyuan took good care of Wu Yingqi. Not only did she teach him how to hide his identity, but she also taught him some survival techniques. Wu Yingqi also gradually accepted Chen Yuanyuan's identity as an "adoptive mother". A special mother-son bond has been established between the two.
After months of trekking, they finally arrived at Majiazhai, a remote village deep in the mountains of Guizhou. It's remote and has little contact with the outside world, making it an ideal hideaway. Chen Yuanyuan used her only remaining connections to arrange a new identity for Wu Yingqi: Wu Qihua.
Since then, Wu Yingqi has settled in Majiazhai under the name of Wu Qihua. In order to completely conceal his identity, he married the daughter of an ordinary local farmer and began an ordinary farming life. Chen Yuanyuan stayed by his side as his aunt and continued to secretly protect and guide him.
In the years that followed, Wu Yingqi (now Wu Qihua) always kept a low profile. He worked hard, got along with his neighbors, and gradually integrated into the local society. However, he never forgot who he really was and what responsibility he shouldered. Under Chen Yuanyuan's guidance, he secretly passed on the history and traditions of the Wu family, waiting for the day when he could restore the family's glory.
In this way, under the thunderous anger of Emperor Kangxi, the Wu Sangui family seemed to be wiped out, but in fact, it left a fire. This spark quietly took root in the deep mountains of Guizhou, laying the foundation for the reproduction of the descendants of the Wu family in the future. And this unknown history has also left a huge mystery for future generations.
Majiazhai, a small village hidden deep in the mountains of Guizhou, became a secret habitat for the descendants of Wu Sangui for more than two centuries. This little-known history, like a legend that transcends time and space, bears witness to how a once-prominent family survived in the face of adversity.
Wu Yingqi, later Wu Qihua, began an ordinary and extraordinary life after settling down in Majiazhai. He is an ordinary farmer on the surface, but he always remembers his identity and responsibilities in his heart. Under Chen Yuanyuan's guidance, he quietly passed on the history and traditions of the Wu family to his children.
In order to protect the family's secrets, Wu Qihua formulated a set of strict rules. First of all, family members must keep their true identities secret from the outside world, and can only refer to themselves with the surname "Wu", and must not disclose their relationship with Wu Sangui. Secondly, family members are not allowed to leave Majiazhai so as not to attract attention from the outside world. In the end, the history of the family can only be passed down by word of mouth, and no written record must be left behind.
These rules may seem harsh, but they provide a guarantee for the survival of the descendants of the Wu family. During the more than 200 years of Qing rule, the Wu family in Majiazhai has always maintained a low-key and forbearant lifestyle. They intermarried with other local villagers and gradually integrated into the local society, but always maintained their family traditions.
With the passage of time, the number of Wu descendants in Majiazhai gradually increased. By the mid-19th century, the family had grown to dozens of households. However, as the population increases, so does the difficulty of maintaining secrecy.
In 1850, the Taiping Rebellion broke out, plunging the whole of China into turmoil. This large-scale peasant uprising brought new challenges and opportunities to the Wu family in Majiazhai. Some younger family members saw this as an opportunity to revive their family's prestige and advocated joining the Taiping Army. However, the elders of the family are firmly opposed, believing that this will expose the family's secrets and bring about ruin.
The controversy almost led to a split in the family. Eventually, with the mediation of the patriarch, a compromise was reached: some young people were allowed to leave Majiazhai, but they had to participate as ordinary people and never reveal their family background. In this way, a small group of Wu descendants quietly left the mountain village where they had lived for generations and integrated into that turbulent era.
After the defeat of the Taiping Rebellion, most of the people who left did not return to Majiazhai. They were either killed in battle or exiled. This incident greatly damaged the vitality of the family, and also strengthened the determination of the remaining clansmen to remain incognito.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Chinese society has undergone earth-shaking changes. After the Xinhai Revolution overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911, the Wu descendants of Majiazhai finally ushered in new hope. However, the long period of seclusion has accustomed them to a peaceful village life, and most people choose to remain in the village.
In 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded. Majiazhai, like the whole of China, has ushered in earth-shaking changes. In the land reform, the Wu family participated in the distribution of land like other villagers. In the process, they carefully concealed their true identities for fear of being labelled "landlords" or "counter-revolutionaries."
During the Cultural Revolution, Majiazhai was not spared. Some activists suspected that the Wu family had hidden secrets and criticized them. During the campaign, some precious family artifacts were destroyed, and some older clansmen died because they could not bear the blow. However, the family's core secrets are still preserved.
After the reform and opening up, Majiazhai ushered in new development opportunities. With the improvement of transportation, the village gradually became more connected to the outside world. Some young people have started to work outside the home, bringing new ideas and concepts back to the village. There are also different voices in the family, some advocate the disclosure of family identity in order to seek better development; There are also those who insist on continuing to keep secrets so as not to incur unnecessary trouble.
In this way, in the ups and downs of more than two centuries, the descendants of the Wu family of Majiazhai have survived tenaciously and silently inherited their history. Their story is like a secret chronicle hidden in the depths of Chinese history, recording how a once-prominent family struggled to survive in the storm of the times.
In 2005, a young historian named Li Ming visited Majiazhai by chance while conducting fieldwork in Guizhou. This seemingly ordinary village, but because of an unexpected discovery, the historical mystery that has been sealed for a long time has been revealed.
Li Ming originally came to this area to study the cultural customs of Guizhou's ethnic minorities. During his visit to Majiazhai, he noticed that there were many residents in the village with the surname Wu. At first, he didn't pay much attention to it, after all, the surname Wu is common in China. However, a fortuitous conversation changed everything.
One evening, Li Ming chatted with several elderly people in a small shop at the head of the village. During the conversation, an old man surnamed Wu inadvertently mentioned that there is an unwritten rule in their family: the male in the family must have the word "Ying" in his name. This detail caught Li Ming's attention because he remembered that Wu Sangui's son was named Wu Yingxiong.
With curiosity, Li Ming began to investigate the history of the Wu family in Majiazhai. He visited many elderly people in the village and collected a large number of oral histories. In the process, he discovered that there was a clear gap in the genealogy of the Wu family, which had become obscure since the early Qing Dynasty. What's even more interesting is that some older people appear to be extra cautious when talking about family history, as if they are deliberately avoiding certain topics.
Li Ming's investigation aroused the vigilance of some people in the village. Some people began to obstruct his research, and some even secretly warned him not to pursue it further. This abnormal attitude strengthened Li Ming's determination to continue the investigation.
During a visit, Li Ming met an old lady who was over 90 years old. This old man is a respected elder in the village and a descendant of the Wu family. Under Li Ming's repeated pleas, the old lady finally relented and agreed to reveal some family secrets to him.
The old lady told Li Ming that their family did have a secret that no one knew. It is said that they are the descendants of Wu Sangui, whose ancestors fled here during the Qing Dynasty and went incognito in order to escape the court. This secret has been passed down from generation to generation and is known only to the core members of the family.
This astonishing discovery made Li Ming excited. He began to compare the history of the Wu family in Majiazhai with the history of the Wu Sangui family. Through careful research, he found that there are indeed many connections between the two. For example, some of the traditional customs of the Wu family in Majiazhai bear striking similarities with those of Yunnan during the Wu Sangui period.
To further confirm this finding, Li Ming decided to take a DNA test. After obtaining the consent of some of his clansmen, he collected DNA samples and compared them with the DNA of known descendants of Wu Sangui. The results show that the Wu family of Majiazhai and Wu Sangui are indeed related by blood.
This discovery caused a huge stir in the academic community. Many historians have begun to re-examine the Wu Sangui Rebellion and its aftermath. As a result, Majiazhai has become the focus of attention of historians and archaeologists.
However, this discovery has also brought unprecedented distress to Majiazhai. The media hype made this peaceful little village an overnight "influencer" attraction. The influx of tourists and journalists into the village shattered the peaceful life of the villagers. Some speculators even began to pretend to be Wu Sangui's descendants in an attempt to make a profit.
Faced with the sudden change, the Wu clan of Majiazhai fell into a dilemma. On the one hand, they are relieved that their identity is finally recognized; On the other hand, they are worried that this kind of attention will bring unnecessary trouble to the family. Some people advocate public recognition of identity and use it for development; Others insist on keeping a low profile, arguing that it makes sense for their ancestors to remain incognito.
The local government is also in a difficult situation. They not only want to protect the historical and cultural heritage, but also maintain the normal life of the villagers. Eventually, the government decided to set up a Wu family history exhibition hall outside the village, which not only satisfied the curiosity of the outside world, but also avoided too much interference with the lives of the villagers.
Li Ming's discovery not only unravels a long-hidden historical mystery, but also provides a new perspective for the study of Chinese history. It reminds people that the truth of history is sometimes hidden in seemingly ordinary corners, waiting to be discovered. At the same time, this incident has also triggered people's thinking about the ethics of historical research: how to balance the impact on the lives of the parties while pursuing academic truth?
The story of Majiazhai has since become a unique footnote in the long history of China, witnessing how a prominent family survived tenaciously in the changing times, and also showing the complex and delicate relationship between history and reality.
With the revelation of the identity of the Wu family in Majiazhai, this once unknown village has been pushed to the center of public view. This incident not only changed the lives of the descendants of the Wu family in Majiazhai, but also triggered in-depth thinking about historical inheritance and cultural protection from all walks of life.
In 2006, after the discovery of historian Li Ming was announced, Majiazhai ushered in unprecedented changes. First of all, a large influx of media and tourists into this remote mountain village broke the peaceful order of life of the villagers. In response to the situation, the local government quickly took a series of measures. They set up a tourist reception center outside the village to restrict tourists from entering the village at will in order to protect the daily life of the villagers. At the same time, the government has also organized a team of villagers to introduce the history of the Wu family to tourists.
This sudden attention has brought both opportunities and challenges to the descendants of the Wu family. Some young people saw an opportunity to grow and started running homestays and souvenir shops, using their family history to attract tourists. One of them is Wu Laosi, a villager, who has transformed his ancestral home into a small museum that displays artifacts and photographs inherited from his family. The museum quickly became one of the most popular attractions in the village.
However, not all villagers welcomed the change. Some older people worry that over-commercialization can damage the family's reputation and traditions. Wu Changchun, a respected old man in the village, has repeatedly called on everyone at the villagers' meeting not to forget the original intention of their ancestors to remain incognito, and to be cautious about sudden fame.
In 2008, a young girl named Wu Fengyi attracted widespread attention. She is the 20th generation of the Wu family in Majiazhai and studied history at Peking University. Wu Fengyi used her identity to study the history of Wu Sangui and his descendants in depth. Her dissertation "Political Changes in the Early Qing Dynasty from Majiazhai" was highly praised by the academic community and was published in the journal "Historical Research".
Wu Fengyi's success has inspired many young people in Majiazhai. More and more descendants of the Wu family are choosing to leave the mountain village and pursue their dreams in the outside world. Some became historians, some entered the cultural industry, and some joined the conservation of cultural relics. Their experiences prove that a new generation of Wu descendants can still find their place in modern society, even with complex historical baggage.
In 2010, Majiazhai ushered in an important moment. With the support of the government, the village held the first "Wu Family Cultural Festival". The event attracts Wu clan members from all over the country, as well as many history buffs. During the three-day event, a number of activities were held, including ancestor worship ceremonies, academic seminars, and folk performances. This cultural festival not only strengthened the ties between the Wu clan, but also brought considerable economic income to the village.
However, as time went on, Majiazhai also faced new challenges. Disputes over environmental issues and cultural commodification caused by overdevelopment have become difficult problems for villagers and local governments. In 2012, a campaign organized by villagers to "protect Majiazhai" attracted widespread attention from society. The villagers demanded that the number of tourists be limited and the natural and cultural ecology of the village should be preserved.
The campaign was eventually met with a response from the government. In 2013, the local government promulgated the Regulations on the Protection of Majiazhai Cultural Heritage, which clearly stipulates the measures for the protection of the village. These include limiting the number of visitors per day, preserving ancient buildings, and supporting traditional crafts. The implementation of this regulation has put the development of Majiazhai on a more sustainable path.
In 2015, Majiazhai welcomed an unexpected visitor, a businessman surnamed Wu from Taiwan. The businessman claimed that he was also a descendant of Wu Sangui and a descendant of Wu Xu, a general who accompanied Zheng Chenggong to Taiwan. His arrival caused a sensation in the village and also provided new clues for the historical research of the Wu family.
In 2018, CCTV broadcast the documentary "The Secret of Majiazhai", which spread the story of this small mountain village throughout the country. The documentary not only tells the history of the Wu family, but also shows how the current generation of Wu descendants find a balance between inheritance and innovation. The broadcast of this documentary once again triggered people's thinking about historical inheritance and cultural protection.
Today's Majiazhai has become a comprehensive scenic spot that integrates history, culture and tourism. While protecting their traditions, the villagers are also actively exploring the path of modernization. The younger generation of Wu descendants are interpreting the history of the family in their own way and writing their own chapters in the new era.
The story of Majiazhai reflects the great changes in Chinese society in the past few decades. It shows how history is intertwined with reality, and how tradition collides with modernity. This once secluded mountain village has now become a unique window into the development of Chinese history and culture.